Generally speaking, the ability to grip things is what has separated man from the animals. The opposable thumb is useful for sure but still man has found that grip enhancements, things that make holding on to other things easier, to be very useful as well. This is easily seen, by way of example only and not by limitation, when the item to be gripped is a hand tool of some sort. Again, by way of example only and not by limitation, pencils and pens are common instruments that must be held/gripped continuously during use for them to function as intended. The constant pressure on a person's fingers caused by use of pencils and pens can create callouses and soreness. The prior art solution to this problem has been to add padding to the instrument so as to soften its surface and reduce the pain of using a pencil or pen.
One type of cushion that has been created is a hollow tubular section of flexible plastic or rubber like material. This hollow tubular section is fitted over the end of a pencil or pen and the plastic body of the tubular section provides a cushion effect for the user.
A problem with the hollow tubular sections known in the art is that they are not expandable. That is, they come in a certain length and may not be extended in any way beyond that length. Thus, they can only cover a certain area of the pencil or pen and the user has little or no flexibility in adapting the coverage to suit the user's own particular needs. Thus, there is a need in the art for a grip apparatus and method for use with instruments that enables a user to customize the area covered by the grip to suit the user's needs. It, therefore, is an object of this invention to provide a grip for instruments that is adaptable to a user's unique needs and capable of covering the instrument in many various manners.